Courtesy of Lake Erie Sports Information
PAINESVILLE, Ohio — Lake Erie College Athletic Director Reid Guarnieri announced the hiring of Kevin Brenner as the Storm's Head Men's Soccer Coach Wednesday (August 12).
Brenner joins the Storm after a successful season at the University at Buffalo, an NCAA Division-I institute.
"I am excited, flattered and humbled to serve as the next head coach of Lake Erie College," said Brenner."I'd like to thank Reid Guarnieri and Billie Dunn, along with President Peter Gerhart for their support during this process. I anxiously look to get started immediately as we will look to enhance the strong foundation to take this program to even greater heights. I want to make a difference in the lives of our student-athletes and help them achieve success on the soccer field, in the classroom and as members of the community."
"When we first set out on our search just a couple of weeks ago, we were cautiously optimistic that we would attract a quality candidate who despite the timing, would see what we have here," said Guarnieri.
"Landing Kevin confirmed our hopes, as he brings a wealth of top-level experience from several programs. Not only was he a successful collegiate student-athlete, but he has built a very steady reputation in this region as a disciplined leader, savvy recruiter, and innovative soccer mind. He understands the high expectations we have for this group and instead of shying away from it, he has embraced the challenge."
Brenner will replace Davie Carmichael, who spent four seasons at the helm of the Storm. Carmichael joined the Buffalo coaching staff as an assistant in July.
"I want to thank Davie Carmichael for elevating the men's soccer program to such a high place," said Guarnieri. "He has laid the foundation for a very special run this year and beyond and we commend him on all that he accomplished here. This has been a very interesting turn of events and we hope that it works out well for all involved."
At Buffalo, Brenner helped the Bulls improve their overall record by two wins from 2013 to 2014 and was involved in running training sessions, scouting, recruiting, camp operations, fundraising and compliance. He also ran the student-athlete academic program and eight team members earned All-MAC Academic honors while the team GPA rose from 2.6 to 3.3. As the recruiting coordinator, Brenner traveled domestically and internationally while developing First Team All-MAC player Russell Cicerone.
Prior to his time at Buffalo, Brenner served as an assistant coach at Canisius College. At Canisius, Brenner assisted in all aspects of the soccer program. During his four years, the team improved from a three win squadin 2010 to one that won 15 in 2013. In 2012, the Griffs reached the number two ranking in the NSCAA North Atlantic Poll and received votes in the top 25 national poll.
From 2005 to 2010, Brenner served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Buffalo State University. Brenner helped Buffalo State with day-to-day operations, training and recruiting.
Brenner was a standout player for the Bengals. A three-year starter and two-year captain, Brenner helped lead Buffalo State into the regional rankings his senior year.After graduating with a bachelor's degree in business management, Brenner was signed as a scout and reserve player for the Queen City Football Club of the National Premier Soccer League from 2006-2008.
Aside from coaching collegiately, Brenner has served as the Head Coach of Amherst from the Buffalo and Western New York Junior Soccer League as well as Empire Buffalo of the US Soccer Developmental Academy.
"Kevin has learned quite a bit at the Division I level so we are particularly excited to see how he will put his own stamp on this program," concluded Guarnieri.
"I embrace the opportunity to lead the men's soccer program," said Brenner. "Our goal will be to continue to build a program that competes on the field and in the classroom with passion, desire and class. This program will instill ideals of every person striving to be a great student, a great person and a great player daily. We hope this will provide the blueprint for conference titles and national significance."